Belarus, Uzbekistan to aim for $1bn in trade

TASHKENT, 13 September (BelTA) – Belarus and Uzbekistan have a potential to reach $1 billion in mutual trade, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted during the talks on 13 September, BelTA has learned.

“Despite the fact that the trade between our countries has increased significantly in recent years, the potential is still hugely untapped. I have dreamed of $500 million in bilateral trade and have come here with these figures in mind. I was really glad to hear the Uzbekistan president speaking about $1 billion. If the president mentions such a sum, this means there is a goal. We are ready for this,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

The Belarusian head of state noted that in its foreign policy Uzbekistan and Belarus focus on mutually beneficial economic cooperation. “The economy is the foundation of any relationship. Once there is a strong economy, there are friendly relations and other things,” the president said.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev explained that the trade of $1 billion is not something “out of the blue”. Having analyzed the relations between the countries, he concluded that such trade is reachable and that a lot can be achieved. Most importantly, he said, is that government officials follow the same policy while implementing the agreements.